ETHICAL PRINCIPLES AND PUBLICATION POLICY
The ethical principles of the Journal of Health and Sport Sciences (JHSS) are established in line with the guidelines and policies prepared and published as open access by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Articles that do not follow COPE recommendations are not published by JHSS.
Author Responsibilities
Studies submitted to JHSS for publication must not have been published previously in any other venue or be currently in the process of publication. Works that have entered the review process must not be submitted to any other publication during this period.
It is the responsibility of the author(s) – including all co-authors if the study has multiple authors – to ensure that the submitted work is original research and has not been published or is not under review elsewhere.
Authors must acknowledge any individuals or institutions that supported the research, if applicable. If the submitted article was presented as a paper at a scientific meeting or is derived from a thesis, this must be stated in the manuscript.
Studies submitted for evaluation must not violate intellectual property rights or copyright.
Aiming to contribute to scientific knowledge and encourage interdisciplinary studies, JHSS applies an "Open Access Policy." Authors accept JHSS’s Open Access Policy. Open-access works can be reused with proper citation and permission.
Authors who identify any conflict of interest are required to inform the editor.
Manuscripts submitted to the journal are screened using iThenticate or Turnitin plagiarism detection software. Studies with a similarity rate exceeding 20% will not be considered for evaluation.
JHSS declares that it is committed to protecting human and animal rights. If subjects or participants were used in the research, Ethics Committee approval must be submitted along with the article. In addition, the institution where the approval was obtained, the approval date, and the decision number must be clearly stated in the method section.
Because the journal follows a double-blind peer-review process, authors must avoid any details in the manuscript that could reveal their identity.
Researchers and authors contributing to the journal are required to follow scientific research and publication ethics. The journal will not collaborate with any author who violates ethical principles for a period of two years.
To maintain publication diversity, there must be at least three issues between two published articles by the same author.
Changes in Authorship
Authors are expected to carefully review the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the final list of authors at the time of the original submission. Adding, removing, or rearranging author names in the list must be done only before the manuscript is accepted and only if approved by the Journal Editor. To request such a change, the Editor must receive the reason for the change from the corresponding author, as well as written confirmation (email or letter) from all authors agreeing to the addition, removal, or rearrangement.
Use of Generative AI for Authors
JHSS follows the "Guideline on The Responsible and Reliable Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Research Funding Processes" published by TÜBİTAK in January 2026 and handles ethical violations regarding AI use in accordance with COPE guidelines.
AI tools can be used for language and spelling editing, title and subtitle suggestions, and identifying key concepts for literature searches. However, AI must not be used for generating hypotheses, discussions, findings, or interpretations.
Authors are required to declare any support received from AI. They must also submit any related documents requested by the editor.
A "Copyright Agreement" is signed with the author, and the author is expected to fully complete the " Generative AI Statement."
Responsibilities of the Editor, Associate Editors, Field Editors, and Language Editors
Considering the aims and scope of the journal, editors begin the publication process after deciding that the submitted manuscript is original, complies with scientific methods, and will contribute to readers, researchers, and practitioners.
Manuscripts submitted for evaluation cannot be used in other research by the editor(s) without the author's permission. The Editorial Board cannot share the manuscript under review with third parties other than the individuals involved in the review process.
In accordance with the double-blind peer-review policy, editors keep the identities of the reviewers confidential. Because they are responsible for protecting personal data, they also protect the information of authors and readers.
Use of Generative AI for the Editorial Board
JHSS follows the " Guideline on The Responsible and Reliable Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Research Funding Processes" published by TÜBİTAK in January 2026 and handles ethical violations regarding AI use in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Uploading a submitted manuscript or any part of it to artificial intelligence systems may violate the authors' privacy, intellectual property, and data protection rights. Even if it is only to receive support for language or style, uploading the manuscript to any AI tool is not appropriate.
Reviewer Responsibilities
Each manuscript is sent to at least two reviewers. Reviewers have the right to decline reviewing a study that is outside their field of expertise. If necessary, a third reviewer may be invited to contribute to the review process.
In cases of conflict of interest or competing interests, reviewers are required to decline reviewing the manuscript and inform the editors.
Reviewers must complete the evaluation of accepted manuscripts within the specified time frame, maintaining impartiality and confidentiality. Their language should be academic and constructive, and they must avoid personal comments containing insults or hostility.
Submitted manuscripts must not be used in any way until they are published after the review process.
Reviewer Ethics, Confidentiality Principles, and the Use of Generative AI
The peer review process must be carried out within the framework of ethical responsibility, impartiality, and confidentiality principles, which form the foundation of scientific publishing. JHSS follows the " Guideline on The Responsible and Reliable Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in Research Funding Processes " published by TÜBİTAK in January 2026 and handles ethical violations regarding AI use in accordance with COPE guidelines.
From the moment they accept the review invitation, reviewers are required to treat the submitted manuscript as a confidential document. The content of the manuscript must be used solely for evaluation purposes; it must not be shared with third parties, discussed, or uploaded to any digital platform or AI-based tool. Uploading a submitted manuscript or any part of it to AI systems may violate the authors' privacy, intellectual property, and data protection rights. Similarly, because reviewer reports may also contain confidential information about the manuscript and its authors, uploading these reports to any AI tool – even solely to receive support for language or style – is not appropriate.
In addition, because every manuscript sent to reviewers has already been screened by iThenticate or Turnitin, reviewers must not run manuscripts through these programs to avoid any database conflicts or confusion.
Reviewers are fully responsible for the entire report they prepare during the review process and are required to comply with all ethical principles related to this process.
Conflict of Interest
When reviewers identify a conflict of interest or competing interest, they must decline to review the manuscript and notify the editor.
Every author must clearly declare any financial interest, affiliation, or situation that could raise suspicion of bias directly or indirectly related to the reported study, results, evaluations, or opinions. In this context, all connections regarding the authors, their affiliated departments and institutions, personal relationships, academic competition, or commercial and other funding sources must be stated.
Editors guarantee that the publication process of manuscripts is completed independently and impartially, considering conflicts of interest among author(s), reviewers, and other editors.
Plagiarism Screening
All submitted manuscripts are screened using iThenticate or Turnitin software. The maximum allowed similarity rate for all submissions is 20%. Manuscripts exceeding a 20% similarity rate will be rejected unless a revised submission is requested by the editorial office. However, after editorial review, authors may be given the opportunity to make corrections if the 20% threshold is exceeded due to misquotations, declarations, or properly cited references. If the similarity rate remains above 20% after this revision, the journal reserves the right to reject the study.
Authors accept full responsibility regarding this policy.
In addition, because every manuscript sent to reviewers has already been screened through iThenticate or Turnitin, reviewers must not run manuscripts through these programs to avoid database overlaps or confusion.
Publication Policy
JHSS is a periodical, peer-reviewed scientific journal published three times a year following a double-blind review policy.
The journal adopts an open-access policy. All content can be accessed online free of charge.
No fees are charged to authors under any circumstances.
Authors are solely responsible for their published works.
JHSS aims to evaluate submitted manuscripts within an average of 12 weeks.